In Los Angeles, a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student, Kai Zhuang, targeted in a “cyber kidnapping” scam resulting in his parents being extorted for US$80,000 (S$106,000), has been discovered alive but “cold and scared” in a Utah wilderness tent, according to police.Kai’s disappearance was reported on Thursday (Dec 28) after his parents informed officials at his host high school in Riverdale, Utah, suspecting he had been kidnapped with a ransom demand.
The incident follows the common pattern of cyber kidnapping, where victims are coerced into isolation and staged photos, leading to compliance under the threat of harm to their families.The situation adhered to a familiar cyber kidnapping pattern, wherein “kidnappers” instruct victims to isolate and provide staged captive photos. These images are then sent to the victim’s family to extract a ransom, with victims complying out of fear for their family’s safety.
Following an extensive investigation involving the analysis of bank records, purchases, and phone ping records, the police concluded that the victim was isolating in a tent approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) north near Brigham City.Concerns for the victim’s safety escalated due to the cold Utah weather, raising fears of potential overnight exposure.
The Riverdale Police Department expressed these concerns in a press release following the discovery on Sunday.Ascending a mountainside on foot, a sergeant stumbled upon Kai’s tent during the search. The tent, lacking a heat source, contained only “a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several phones presumed to be used for the cyber kidnapping,” as detailed by the department.
Upon contact, the detective found Kai alive but severely cold and frightened. Following the rescue, Kai, who had been a victim of the scam that resulted in his family paying US$80,000 to Chinese bank accounts, expressed a desire for a warm cheeseburger and a conversation with his family.Initially unaware of Kai’s disappearance, his host family in Riverdale had heard him in the kitchen early on the day he went missing.
The Riverdale police collaborated with the FBI, the US embassy in China, and Chinese officials in their efforts to locate the missing teenager, as outlined in the press release. Riverdale police noted a recent surge in cyber kidnappers targeting foreign exchange students, particularly those from China.